Sweets Raku
5040 W. Spring Mountain Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146
Yelp

I almost made the same mistake twice in forgetting to blog about the best dessert place in Las Vegas.  Sweets Raku really impressed me with their perfectly executed made-to-order desserts when I first dined here 2 years ago after my diner at the neighboring izakaya restaurant, Raku.  This time around, I had dinner at Kabuto which is literally just next door.  I’m telling you, this strip mall/plaza in Las Vegas is highly concentrated with delicious Japanese eats with just these 3 restaurants alone!

The dining format has changed a bit.  We had an edible menu last time and 3 courses (amuse, dessert course, petit fours) for $19.  Now, they’ve scaled down their prix fixe sans petit fours for $15.  The edible menu isn’t anything delicious.  It’s just a neat little trick.

Strawberry Sorbet
Sweeter than the offering we had at Kabuto.

Blueberry Champagne Sorbet
Pretty alcoholic and still delicious albeit a bit sour.

The best part about Sweets Raku is sitting at the counter to watch your desserts being made.  I think this would be my dream job.  I love baking, making people happy with my creations, and eating dessert.  I was nothing short of enamored and enthralled.

Mars yuzu mousse, chocolate cream, hazelnuts, assorted fruits, covered with white chocolate piece flambeéd with brandy
This dessert was quite the show.  Literally flaming brandy was poured over a a pink chocolate dome.

It melted to reveal the smooth and creamy marriage of yuzu mousse and chocolate cream.  The base had something crunchy, but the brandy was quite strong and distracting.  Overall, very tasty, but maybe a little less brandy next time.

Spring Mountain pistachio cream cake, strawberry and raspberry mousse, on top of chocolate cake with pie crust
This was probably everyone’s favorite dessert.

All the different components of creams, mousses, cakes, crusts, made for layers upon layers of flavor and textures.  I loved the contrast of tart fruitiness, chocolate, and cream.  Seriously, so YUMS!

Carib coconut panna cotta, melon sorbet, assorted fruits, cinnamon pie stick
Another neat presentation.  A sugar lid was placed on top on the glass.  Warm fruity syrup melted through to finish off an already beautiful dessert.

If you like anything coconut or melon, you’re gonna think this isn’t the dish for you.  I am not particularly partial to coconut or bananas, and I still liked the subtle tropical notes here.  The panna cotta was barely sweet, a very Japanese quality in desserts.  The cold  melon sorbet, caramelized bananas, light chocolate mousse, and puffy pastry stick made for another delightful success. 

Sweets Raku has solidified its place in my book as my favorite Las Vegas eatery.  It combines the best of presentation, execution, creativity, and flavors.  Most importantly for any great dessert, it manages the sweetness level to perfection.  It’s not even expensive by any stretch of the imagination considering you can’t buy an experience like this anywhere near where I live.  I am probably highly biased since I love dessert so much, so keep that in mind.  I can’t say enough great things about this place!  Triple YUMS!  You can bet I will be visiting Sweets Raku during every future Vegas trip.

10 – You NEED to eat here
9 – Awesome
8 – Very good
7 – Good
6 – OK
5 – Average
4 – Not bad
3 – Not good
2 – Terrible
1 – Do NOT eat here